Report: Ryan critical of Hamilton's timing in stopping use of chewing tobacco

Texas Rangers president Nolan Ryan has criticized Josh Hamilton's decision to try to break his tobacco-chewing habit during the season, FoxsportsSouthwest.com reported Wednesday.

Hamilton said in June that he was attempting to stop his use of chewing tobacco.

Ryan said in a radio interview that he thinks that affected Hamilton's play.

"His timing on quitting smokeless tobacco couldn't have been worse," Ryan said Tuesday on 103.3 KESN-FM in Dallas, according to FoxsportsSouthwest.com. "You would've liked to have thought that if he was going to do that that, he would've done it in the offseason, or waited until this offseason to do it. So the drastic affect that it had on him and the year that he was having up to that point in time when he did quit, you'd have liked him to have taken a different approach to that."

"So those issues caused unrest, and it's unfortunate that that happened and the timing was such as it was."

After having 21 homers and 57 RBIs in the first two months of the season, Hamilton hit eight homers and drove in 27 runs during June and July.

His numbers improved in August, but slipped again down the stretch. Hamilton had just two hits in his final four games.